Meet Joanna and Lisa

My name is Joanna McCarrick, Alumni Coordinator for the Serenity Acres Alumni Association. Welcome to our very first issue of the Serenity Acres Alumni Association Newsletter! Our mission here at Serenity is not only to help you overcome your struggle with addiction, but to offer a foothold when you leave treatment and start your journey of recovery. One of the biggest reasons people stay clean and sober is because of the community and support they get from other recovering addicts/alcoholics.

Our goal is to provide our alumni with resources, check-in phone calls, weekly 12-step meetings, speaker events and fun social activities that get people excited about recovery. We hope that you join us and become a part of something greater than yourself.

Now, a bit about me: I have been an employee here at Serenity Acres for almost 2 years. I started out as a Recovery Coordinator, and went on to be an Administrative Assistant before taking on the role as the Treatment Center’s first Alumni Coordinator. I grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore but also spent about 8 years of my childhood in Alice Springs, Australia (ever order the “Alice Springs Chicken” at Outback Steakhouse?). I enjoy spending time in the outdoors, especially anything to do with the water. I love spending time with my family and friends and others who are in recovery. I got sober on August 24, 2013 and I can honestly say it was the best decision of my life.

Now, I’d like to introduce you to someone I have the privilege to work alongside every day, our Executive Director, Lisa Dehorty!

Lisa DehortyExecutive Director

Hi, everyone! I’ve been the Executive Director since June of last year. I’m thrilled to be working with our team to launch and grow our Alumni Association, a place for people to connect, build community and gain support.

I’m a proud Marylander. We live in Annapolis now, but I was raised in Bel Air, where my husband Scott, two kids and I still maintain a home.

I am passionate about what I do. Before coming to Serenity Acres, I spent 24 years at Ashley Addiction Treatment (formerly Father Martin’s Ashley), in Havre de Grace, Maryland. I started in admissions and worked my way up to Director of Business Development, growing professionally and learning many valuable lessons along the way.

One of these lessons is that a dedicated team working together can accomplish what even the most talented individual working alone cannot. I’ve found the staff of Serenity Acres to be a very impressive team indeed. Though we maintain the strictest

compliance to Maryland’s state standards for recovery centers like ours, I join the rest of the staff in going above and beyond to make our treatment center the best it can be. Thanks to all of you for being part of that effort by staying in touch!

Lisa DehortyExecutive Director

Lisa came to us with a vision. With her background, skillset and devotion she has helped Serenity Acres become a place where people have found a new way of life.

I am honored to be a part of such an incredible team, and look forward to meeting or reconnecting with each of you. If you want more information or have any questions about our

Until next time, take care and remember to reach out to those around you. You never know; they just might be the one helping you!

Serenity Acres Mobile App

What I am most excited about in our program is our very own Serenity Acres Alumni App! We have had a great number of alumni sign up already, with many of them sharing their milestone (length of sobriety time). It is also a perfect opportunity to reach out if you are in need of support and encouragement. The setup is similar to Facebook and Instagram where you can comment and “like” posts from other members. You can download the app on your smartphone from either the iTunes store or the Play store, depending on what type of smartphone you have. You can also access the site from the internet on your laptop/computer via the Serenity Acres.com website. It is a private app, strictly for Serenity Acres alumni.